


Summer Sun

by thealbinophoenix



Category: Subarashiki Kono Sekai | The World Ends With You
Genre: Angst, Fluff, Hopefully not too OOC, I wrote this years ago wow, Kisses, M/M, Swimming, but powers too!, island au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-10
Updated: 2017-04-10
Packaged: 2018-10-17 02:27:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,645
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10584510
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thealbinophoenix/pseuds/thealbinophoenix
Summary: Neku's family goes to an island for vacation, and he is not thrilled. Two weeks on an island with no cell service sounds like the most boring thing in the world. Magic, monsters, and a strange boy prove him wrong as he discovers a whole new world under the summer sun. But what will happen after he returns home?





	

Compose Message: Shiki Misaki

Well, I guess that was it. There goes my cell service for two weeks. Some vacation this is. I guess you'll get this message when I get back. At least the island we're going to supposedly has electricity. No Internet though. No TV. No telephone. God, Shiki, how am I going to survive two weeks here?

Send. No service. Message saved.

Neku dropped his phone back onto his lap and looked out over the edge of the small boat. There was nothing. Nothing except water. It was like every part of civilization had somehow vanished under the waves.

A conversation caught his ears. His parents were talking with the captain, their excited voices sounding way too cheerful for Neku to stand. Who in the world would want to be stuck in the middle of nowhere for two weeks? Oh, right. They did. Jerks.

A hand ran through his hair and he flinched away. Apparently the hand didn't get the hint. His mother spoke from behind him, "We only have about half an hour left, Neku! I still cannot believe we got such a good deal on the rent for this place. Our own private island for two weeks! Aren't you even a little bit excited?"

Neku rolled his eyes, making sure she couldn't see his face. "No."

Her hand moved away from his hair, and he closed his eyes, leaning back against the chair he was sitting in. There was a disappointed sigh from his mother. Then her footsteps sounded against the floor of the boat, moving away from him. Good, she was gone.

Extremely bored, Neku slipped the headphones onto his head and turned his music as far up as it would go without bursting his eardrums.

All too soon, they arrived at the island. Neku's phone died just as they reached the small dock, and with a groan Neku shoved it into his pocket and pushed his headphones down to around his neck. Then he stood, stretched, grabbed his bags, and stepped off of the boat onto the dock.

The captain was talking amiably with a man Neku had never seen before. The guy was probably the owner of the island, he figured. His parents were still on the boat grabbing their things, but they'd be off soon. Then the boat would leave, and Neku would be stuck here.

The stranger spotted Neku and grinned, the sun glinting off of his sunglasses. "Hey, Phones! Wow, you'e in for a treat. Not many people have seen this place."

Neku gave him an annoyed look. "My name is Neku."

"Gotcha. But seriously Phones. You'll like it here. You can swim whenever you want, and you have a whole island to explore."

"Exactly," cut in Neku's father, "It's perfect. Just like Mr. Hanekoma here says, you'll like it here."

Clearly Neku didn't agree.

"It's only two weeks, Neku." said his mother.

The teenager only wished it was shorter. He tried to tune them out, and almost missed what was said next.

"Mr. Hanekoma, why don't people usually come here?"

"Eh, Boss likes his privacy. You probably won't see him around. And, well, Boss won't be too happy that I told you this, but some people say the island has a mind of its own, that odd things happen here."

Neku's mother gasped, "Do they?"

M. H let out a loud laugh. "Nah. It's just your average island. No, you're perfectly safe here, ma'am."

For the first time, Neku agreed with something the guy said. Of course. Islands didn't think for themselves. The only things weird about the world were people's obsessions with collecting stuffed animals and spending their vacations away from any kind of contact with the rest of the world.

And yet, as Neku tried to get to sleep that night in his new bedroom, he somehow got the feeling that the island was holding its breath, waiting for something important to happen.

Compose Message: Shiki Misaki

Day 2. Still hate this place. Wishing I were home. How did Beat's skateboarding competition go? Rhyme's track meet is tomorrow, right? Wish her luck for me. The guy who runs the island keeps calling me Phones. It's annoying. Nothing interesting so far.

Send. No service. Message saved.

The next morning, he forgot where he was until he opened his eyes. Then all he wanted to do was close them and go back to sleep for a couple more weeks.

Eventually the smell of cooking food pulled him out of bed and dragged him downstairs. His mom gave him a smile when he walked into the kitchen. "Morning, sleepyhead. Sleep well?"

"Ish." he replied, sitting down at the table and starting to eat his plate of food.

"It's a lovely day today. Why don't you go explore the island? Maybe you'll find something interesting."

Neku shrugged, his mouth full of food.

"Neku, honey, there's nothing to do inside. Go outside! Maybe you won't be as pale when you come back."

To make a long story shorter, Neku gave in and went. It was warm outside, but there was a slight breeze. The air smelled fresh but salty. Even though he still didn't like it here, he had to admit that at least the air was nice.

It made him miss his friends though. Shiki, Eri, Rhyme, Beat, they were back home in the city. Last summer, they'd gone to the beach, all five of them. Still walking, Neku closed his eyes. Maybe if he though hard enough, he could imagine their voices.

Neku walked right into a giant plant thing.

He yelped in surprise, jumping back and opening his eyes. Then he stared. It was a hedge, a tall one. He hadn't seen that before. Turning, he saw the beach behind him. Maybe he'd gotten turned around while he was walking?

He looked back at the hedge, scanning it. It was long, and turned corners on both sides. Funny, it looked like some kind of a maze. His parents hadn't mentioned it. Except, there wasn't an opening.

No wait. There it was. Neku spotted it, a clean but large gap in the maze wall, looking like someone had just cut it out that morning. No branches were out of place. It was a perfect square hole.

Neku walked to the opening, then hesitated. Who knew where this thing led? He could get lost in it easily. It could take him the full two weeks just to get out.

The teen thought about it. Hadn't he wanted to find something that would pass the weeks by more quickly? Well, wandering through a maze wasn't any less boring than swimming. He might as well go for it. But he'd play it safe, keep track of every turn.

Neku walked into the maze, focusing on where he was and which ways he was turning. He took a left, focusing only on remembering that and not on his surroundings. If he had been paying attention, he might have noticed that as soon as he took his first turn, the opening he'd entered the maze through grew closed.

Walking through the maze, he quickly realized that the maze was bigger than he'd thought. He walked for a good fifteen minutes and saw no sign of the end of the maze. With every turn he grew a little more nervous. What if he forgot a turn? It could take him hours to get out of here.

At one point, Neku stopped. He thought for a minute. Should he turn around? Maybe he should. If he went any farther he'd certainly get lost. He started to go back the way he'd come, but stopped again after only a couple of seconds.

He'd felt something. It seemed like the maze itself was beckoning him to continue. For some reason, he now felt drawn to keep going deeper into the maze.

Neku bit his lip. It was a bad idea, and he knew it. Nevertheless, his feet ignored his brain and began to walk again, moving farther into the maze.

Finally, he turned a corner and saw something other than a maze wall. His eyes widened. In front of him was a pond. It looked deep, and full of crystal clear water that sparkled in the sunlight. Flowers grew along its sides in several colors. Even though he still didn't really like the island, Neku had to admit it was beautiful.

Curious, he stepped closer to the pond and peered in. It was deep, certainly. The sides sloped down sharply, and he couldn't even see the bottom of the center. He squinted, trying to see more. He wasn't sure, but it was possible that something was shining down there. Maybe it was just his imagination.

That's when he saw his reflection in the water. His face staring back at him looked perfectly normal. It was the image of the boy standing next to him that startled him.

Neku let out a sound that was almost a scream and jumped backward, away from the boy. Looking up, he saw that he had not been imagining things. There really was a boy standing next to him. Neku's eyes narrowed, and he took another step back. "Who the hell are you?"

The other teen smirked, violet eyes full of both humor and mischief. It was a little unnerving. "I think I ought to be asking you that, Neku. You're the one who wandered into my garden after all. But since you asked, I'm Yoshiya Kiryu. But you can call me Joshua."

Neku flinched slightly. "Hey, it wasn't like I knew this was here. Or that you were. How the hell did you sneak up on me like that?"

Joshua raised an eyebrow, looking amused. "Language, Neku. I have my ways. But isn't it polite, when someone tells you their name, to do the same?"

Neku scowled. "It's Neku. Neku Sakuraba."

Joshua chuckled, that irritating smirk still on his face. "Charming."

Neku felt his face grow red, and he wasn't sure if it was an embarrassed blush or an annoyed one. Probably both. He did notice that Joshua's smirk vanished, replaced by a speculative look. "So. How did you manage to get in here?"

Neku crossed his arms. "I got stuck in the maze. Duh."

Joshua raised an eyebrow. "Usually it's not that easy. Hmm. Maybe Sanae did something." Neku got the feeling that the pale boy wasn't really speaking to him. Then Joshua's eyes focused on Neku, and the smirk returned. "I'm assuming you'd like to leave? The maze can be confusing to newcomers, and I know a shortcut."

The orange-haired teen frowned. "Yeah. Someone might be looking for me." Really, he just wanted to make sure he could get out of here.

Joshua didn't seem to buy that, but he accepted the answer anyway. "Very well. Follow me." His steps almost silent on the grassy ground, he began to walk towards an opening in the hedge that Neku hadn't seen before.

Neku hesitated. A shortcut? Hmm, he didn't really trust Joshua. But he did need to get back, and he was almost positive that he'd forgotten the way by now.

"Coming, Neku?" called Joshua.

With cautious steps, Neku followed him.

Two short, silent minutes later, they reached the edge of the maze. Through the opening, Neku could see the beach and the waves crashing on its sandy shores. Joshua had stopped just inside the walls of the hedge, watching him expectantly. Neku turned to face him. "Thank you."

Joshua smirked again. "Anytime, Neku. If you wish to return, be my guest. I don't mind the company. Something tells me your journey to my garden will be much shorter if you try again."

Neku nodded, not sure yet if he wanted to return or trusted this strange blond boy's words. Then he walked away, back towards the house. Only once did he glance over his shoulder. When he did, he Fpaused. The opening he had left the maze through had disappeared, and the maze wall was just a long, tall, and thick wall of green.

Compose Message: Shiki Misaki

Day 3. I got lost in a maze yesterday. I found this cool garden place with this weird pond. There was a boy there. He was a little weird too. Not sure if I'll go back or not. Could make this vacation more interesting if I did.

Send. No service. Message saved.

Neku did end up going back. After breakfast the next morning, he went back to the maze. Neither of his parents seemed to have cared that he had been gone for almost the whole day the day before. That honestly didn't surprise him. They were probably just happy he wasn't sitting in his room and sulking.

The maze entrance was open and he got to the garden a lot faster this time. When he walked out of the maze, Joshua was there. The boy was snarky and sarcastic again, but Neku could have sworn that the odd boy was happy too. Possibly.

However, a couple days later, Neku arrived at the maze center to find Joshua gone. Instead, he found someone he really hadn't expected to be there.

"Mr H?" He asked, eyes widening, "Where's Joshua?"

Mr. Hanekoma turned to face him, then grinned awkwardly. "Phones! Good to see you! I wasn't expecting you to come here. You know Josh?"

Neku frowned at the nickname. "My name is still Neku. Yeah, I know him. Where is he?"

"Oh, he's busy. Stuff to do. Boss is a busy guy."

He raised his eyebrows. "Boss? Joshua is your boss?"

"Did I say that? Heh, I guess I did. Yeah, he owns the island. Usually its just the two of us here. He runs the whole island, though I still manage to end up doing most of the work."

Neku nodded slowly. Joshua owns the island. Wow. "So its just you guys? No parents or anything?"

Mr H. shook his head no. "Nope. They weren't here when he hired me, and he doesn't like to talk about them. So I don't ask. Why make Boss cranky?"

"Hmm." That surprised him a little bit. Josh was running the island all by himself? Well, of course Mr. H was here too. Still, it sounded lonely. He felt a little bad for the other boy. At least he had his friends to talk to when he wanted.

A quiet but familiar giggle sounded from behind him, and Neku turned to see Josh standing at the maze, a surprised smirk on his face. "Neku. Sanae. You wouldn't happen to have been talking about me, would  
you?"

Neku turned pink. How long had Joshua been standing there? "Maybe. Where did you go?"

Joshua raised an eyebrow, but his smirk only grew. "Elsewhere. Did you miss me, Neku?"

Neku tried to say that no, he definitely had not, but somehow his mouth had scrambled up his words. What came out was a couple seconds of babbled gibberish.

This time Joshua's laugh was a little more genuine. Then he turned to Mr. H. "What brings you here, Sanae?"

Mr. H frowned, looking troubled. "I need to talk to you about something, Boss. Something about the island."

Neku saw Josh's face turn serious. He nodded, then looked back at the orange haired teen. "I'm sorry, Neku. Will you excuse us?"

Well fine, if it was that important. Neku turned to go, but his curiosity got a hold of him, and he stopped in the maze just outside of their view. All he could hear were hushed voices, but he was able to pick up some things.

"...getting closer..."

"...can do to stop it?..."

"No, not really ... increase the shields ... family? ... to safety?"

"We can't..."

There was a sigh from Mr. H, a worried sigh, and the two voices grew clearer. This time, Neku could clearly hear Josh's curious voice.

"I didn't expect to find Neku here. I've let him in a few times before, but not this time. Did you?"

"Nope. I guess the kid found his own way in. Maybe this place likes him."

"Hmm, it's possible."

Not really sure what to make about what he'd heard, Neku left. Their words didn't leave his mind for hours, and it took him a long time to get to sleep that night.

Compose Message: Shiki Misaki

Day 11. Has it really been 11 days? Wow. I guess the island's starting to grow on me. Only 3 days before we leave, but it might be longer. The waves have been getting higher and rougher. Joshua's been looking worried. Oh right, I haven't told you about Joshua. He's the weird boy I mentioned. I guess we're friends now. We don't talk much. He owns the island, so he's always busy, and I haven't seen him for a couple days. I'll go back to the maze tomorrow. Tonight it's too late for me to find him. He's probably asleep.

Send. No service. Message saved.

That night, however, Neku woke up long before dawn. He tried to go back to sleep, but couldn't. Checking his phone, he saw that it was just after midnight. Why was he awake this early? He'd only gone to sleep a couple hours before. Closing his eyes, he tried to go back to sleep again.

Then the hair stood up on the back of his neck. A sense of danger and warning washed over him. His eyes snapped open, and he sat up, looking around the room. There was nothing wrong in his room at least. Still, the feeling grew. He tried to focus on the feeling and figure out where it was coming from.

Another feeling grew, more of a thought. Something was in trouble. Something needed his help. Whatever it was, it was in serious danger.

Well, he wasn't going to get any more sleep with that in his mind, and its urgency seemed to be growing. Slipping out of bed, he put on his day clothes and left the house, trying not to wake his parents. That plan seemed to have succeeded. They were still fast asleep.

Once he was outside, he stopped. Where was he going to go now? Looking around, he didn't see anything out of place. Whatever was in trouble, it wasn't here. Still, it called to him for help.

Joshua. Maybe the blond boy knew. Neku would feel really guilty for waking him up, but hey, it was his island. Whatever it was, it was his problem too.

What if it was Joshua who needed help? Neku frowned. It could be. But how could he be communicating that to Neku like this?

The teen began to walk briskly towards the maze. The feeling of danger got stronger the closer he got. He didn't stop, not even when the fear threatened to overwhelm him. Soon enough, he realized that the fear was becoming manageable. It wasn't shrinking, but he could block it from affecting him.

When he got to the maze, he gasped. The waves had come right up to the walls, though they hadn't gotten inside. Some kind of invisible barrier seemed to be keeping it away from the entrance, and as Neku carefully made his way over, he saw that the walls had grown to be  
much taller than they had been. They looked thicker too. The maze reminded him of a fortress.

God, it would take him hours to find Joshua now.

That thought stopped him as he entered the maze. What if he couldn't find Joshua? He had to try, of course. Starting through, he called "Joshua?" loudly through the maze.

A minute later, there had been no response. However, there had been plenty of twists and turns. Growing worried, Neku yelled louder, "Josh! Where are you?!"

He turned the corner, just as a loud roar sent him tumbling to the ground, heart beating more quickly than it ever had. He jumped up, eyes wide, and saw that he'd reached the garden. It didn't look like  
the garden anymore. Instead, the pond water covered most of the ground. The flowers had turned into huge vines, which were trying to wrap themselves around the thing Neku was mostly focused on. It was a monster, a serpentine dragon thing about the width of the garden space. The vines and roots were trying to pin it down, but it was too strong.

Roaring again, it lunged at something, and Neku glanced over to see a figure glowing a very light lavender color jump nimbly out of the way. Columns of white light that looked like lightning shot down from the dark sky and hit the monster. It let out an almost scream of pain and its tail wrapped around its attacker, throwing him against the wall of the maze.

The monster loomed over him, about to strike, but then it howled in pain again and turned to Mr. H. Neku noticed that the man was also glowing a very faint white, and he held some kind of a sword, which he'd clearly just slashed the monster with.

The fallen glowing person was Joshua. Neku knew it somehow, even before he got close enough to make out the boy's face or hair. He'd begun to run without realizing it, straight towards the monster.

Now he knew why he'd been called for help. White hot rage engulfed him. It melted away the fear he'd felt when he'd seen the dragon. He no longer felt tired. Neku felt strong. He was going to make the snake pay for hurting his friends.

The dragon was now battling Mr. H, but its tail swung towards Joshua, trying to hit him into another wall. Joshua was just getting to his feet, but he managed to jump out of the way just in time. Another bolt of light hit the monster. It roared, and that gave Josh just enough time to move out of its reach. He winced as his feet touched the ground. That last attack had hurt, and his strength was being drained by the attacks that seemed to be doing nothing. At this rate, the monster was sure to destroy him and the island.

Then a bright orange glow caught Joshua's attention. Expecting it to be another attack from the monster, he turned. No. His eyes widened as he saw that it wasn't an attack, not to him at least. It was a person, a familiar person glowing just as bright as he was with fury filled blue eyes. Neku?!

There was another roar, and then Mr. H appeared next to Joshua. "Are you seeing this? Phones! What are you doing here?!"

"Saving your asses! A little help here?" he yelled back.

Their strength back, Joshua and Mr. H jumped back into the fight. Neku dodged an attack from the snake, but the next one hit him full on and he let out a pained noise as it knocked the wind out of him. But it wasn't there for long. A second later, the monster had backed away, distracted by Mr. H. Joshua was suddenly there, standing between Neku and the beast and holding out a hand to help him up.

Neku gratefully took it and was pulled to his feet. "Thanks. What is that thing?"

Joshua hesitated, then said "The simple answer is negative energy in a corporeal form. The complicated one will take time to explain. If you can, focus on it and try to hit it with light like I am."

Neku looked bewildered, but he knew that was all of the answer he was going to get and ran towards the monster. Joshua followed behind him. The blond doubted that Neku could focus his power on the thing like he could. He'd been doing it for years. However, he did sense power in the other boy. It was one of the reasons why the maze might have let him into this garden at all.

The three continued the attack on the monster, working separately and without coordination. Neku soon found that he was able to attack the monster, but it wasn't enough. The dragon was weakening, but they were weakening faster. It seemed like their attacks weren't doing hardly anything to it.

Then the dragon slammed Mr. H into the ground, and Neku's eyes widened in horror. He wasn't moving. Quickly, he shot a bolt of light at the monster to get it away from the fallen man, and Joshua was at Mr. H's side in in an instant.

Then he was back over by Neku. "He's alive. Unconscious but alive. We need to end this. Fuse your powers with mine and we might be able to stop it."

Neku nodded, determination in his eyes. Then Joshua began to glow brighter. A second later, Neku did too. The light around them turned white, and they moved with almost inhuman speed away from the dragon when it tried to grab them.

Then they pointed at the dragon's face, and a bright and enormous beam of light went from their hands to the dragon.

It howled and screamed for a couple of seconds in pain, struggling to try and get away. Then it seemed to implode, the scaly hide of the creature turning to fine black dust which then vanished entirely.

Feeling completely exhausted, Neku dropped to the ground, gasping for breath. Joshua wavered, but managed to stay standing. A dimmer glow enveloped him in warm light, and then he reached out to Mr. H. Before Neku's eyes, the older man's injuries faded and went away. Now he was no longer unconscious, just in a quiet sleep.

Sleep threatened to claim Neku as well, but he fought to keep his eyes open. Dawn was breaking, but the brightest light in the garden so far was Joshua. He walked over to Neku, the light covering his own injuries and healing them.

Neku wished he could do that. He ached from hitting the walls a couple of times. "H-how did we do that?" he mumbled, trying to stay awake still.

Joshua knelt beside him, smiling softly with possibly the warmest smile Neku had ever seen him wear. "Not now, Neku. Come back to the garden tomorrow and I'll tell you. Now sleep."

At the command, Neku went limp and his eyes began to close as he finally drifted off. But he couldn't have imagined the arms that picked him up like a little kid, or the white, feathery wings that appeared on Joshua's back.

Compose Message: Shiki Misaki

Day 12. Either I just had the weirdest dream or the weirdest night of my life. I'll tell you in person. You'd never believe me otherwise.

Send. No service. Message saved.

Neku lay there in his bed feeling no pain whatsoever. None. The soreness he'd had from the battle was completely gone. However, the memories of what had happened were not. They were vivid in his mind. The dragon, Mr. H, and Joshua.

The waves were back to normal now, and there was not a cloud in the sky. The sun shone brightly, but not as brightly as Joshua had. It was as if nothing had happened. Neku's memories said otherwise though, and he knew it had not been a dream.

He needed to talk to Josh. Right.

His parents were still asleep, so Neku had no trouble getting out of the house. He followed the familiar path straight to the maze, and walked right in. It was back to its normal size now. A few minutes later, he was in the garden. There he found Joshua, sitting by the pond and just looking at it.

Neku wanted answers but he really didn't want to disturb Joshua, so he just sat down beside the other boy and silently watched the water too.

He soon gave up on keeping quiet. Joshua hadn't said a word and he really was curious. "About last night, what happened?"

Joshua chuckled, "Sanae and I were in trouble and you showed up to rescue us, our knight in shining armor."

Neku turned pink and looked away with a faint scowl, though he looked back at Joshua after just a moment. "I know that. What really happened? With the glowing and all that?"

Joshua finally met his eyes and gave Neku a long look. He actually looked hesitant. Then, "First, you should know that this island is kinda special. You've probably guessed with the maze changing, but just in case you didn't pick up on that, there you go. There are many places around the world like it, though they're hard to find if you don't know how to look. They're called Beacons, regions of power that keep the world relatively safe from most things."

"Some things are too much for their light to handle, like the monster from last night. Negative emotions clump and form those creatures. They try to erase the light power and corrupt it. That's where Sanae and I come in. Each Beacon has Keepers. When a Beacon needs a Keeper, it calls them to it and awakens their powers. The glowing, as you put it, is one of them. There are others. When a Keeper leaves the Beacon, their powers go dormant again, even if they find another Beacon. But if the Beacon gets erased, all of the Keepers protecting it die."

Neku frowned. "If that's the case, why don't the Keepers just leave? Protect themselves?"

"Some have. They let their Beacons fall. That's when wars start, governments fall, plagues wipe out cities, that sort of thing."

"Oh."

"Exactly. We feel it's worth it."

Neku thought for a few seconds. Then he asked, "So, I'm a Keeper too?"

"Yes. That's why the maze kept letting you in. I didn't see it at first, but the island has chosen you. If you stay, you'll notice little things that it will do for you but not other people."

"But I can't stay." said Neku quietly, "I only have a couple days left. Then I'm going home."

Joshua nodded. "I know."

"I wish I could stay, you know, but I have friends to get back to. School. Internet."

"I know."

"Couldn't you come visit me or something? I could give you my address."

Joshua's violet eyes looked sad. "I can't. One of perks to being a Keeper is immortality so we can continue to protect the island. If I left, my powers would vanish and I'd die before I ever reached the mainland. Besides, leaving Sanae here all alone? The darkness would notice the power drop and the island would be erased in minutes."

"Oh. Well I guess that wouldn't work." He almost asked how old Joshua really was but decided he didn't want to know. "Hey, want to go swimming?"

Joshua looked a little taken aback. "Swimming?"

Neku smiled. The change of subject had been sudden, but he'd just had the idea. "Yeah. We're on an island. It's the only thing I haven't done here yet and I'm leaving the day after tomorrow. Why not?"

Was Joshua blushing? "Okay?"

"Good. I'll see you at the beach by the maze opening in two hours?"

Joshua stared after Neku as he ran off. Neku was smiling. Why in the world was he so excited about swimming, Joshua wondered.

Neku wondered the same thing.

Two hours later, Neku dropped his bag on the sand and hurried into the water. It was cool, but not horribly cold. The temperature was actually nice. He was careful to keep his head out of the water though, his hair to be exact. Neku hated having wet hair.

He didn't see Joshua though. That brought a frown to Neku's face. Had Josh decided not to come? Maybe he didn't have a swimsuit. He was pale enough that maybe he'd never gone swimming at the beach and hadn't needed one. Or maybe he couldn't swim. But this was just walking, wasn't it?

Then he spotted Joshua. The other boy was stepping into the water and making his way towards Neku. The blond looked a little self-conscious. Neku wondered why until his mind pointed out that oh hey neither of them were wearing shirts.

Trying not to blush, Neku called "About time you got here! Come on in! The water's nice!"

Joshua made his way over and shrugged. "I suppose. It's always like this."

"Spoilsport." Neku said, "Have you been swimming before?"

"It was a while ago. I used to go swimming with my parents."

"My friends and I used to go all the time. The beach is a bit of a drive, but it's worth it." He missed them. In some ways he was looking forward to going home, but part of him wanted to stay too.

"Your friends?" asked Joshua.

"Yeah. They go to my school. Beat, Shiki, and Eri are in my year. Rhyme is Beat's little sister, but she's almost smart enough to be in our year too. Usually she helps Beat with his work. He's a good skateboarder and a decent cook, but not too book smart. Shiki is a seamstress. She's really nice and I've known her the longest. Eri is her best friend and she's a designer. Never let those two shop with you. They adore fashion but they will make you model for them and stuff." He shivered.

Joshua laughed, a real one. There was a little bit of sadness in there too, but Neku didn't pick it up.

Instead, Neku smiled. "I wish you could meet them. They'd like you."

"You certainly think highly of them. What about you? What do you do for fun?"

Neku looked a little embarrassed. "Listen to music. Draw. That sort of thing."

"Hmm. You'll have to show me something. Sanae is an artist too. He's not well known, but have you seen any of his stuff? CAT?"

Neku stared at Joshua. "Mr. H is CAT? The CAT? Oh my god, why didn't you tell me?"

Joshua had to laugh. Neku was the very picture of an obsessed fangirl. "I didn't know you were interested."

"Yes! He's my role model! Some of his stuff is, wow..."

"You'll just have to tell him later. Maybe you could show him some of your work." Joshua smirked.

Neku blushed again. What was up with him and blushing? "Uh, no, no thanks."

Josh smirked, "Why, Neku, are you blushing?"

"No." he said, blushing harder.

"Liar" teased Joshua, stepping closer.

"I'm not!" said Neku indignantly, and feeling that Josh was too close for comfort, he splashed water into his friend's face.

And thus the splash war began.

Several minutes later, two soaking wet boys climbed out of the water and over to the towels. Neku quickly started to dry his hair, muttering to himself. He left one towel for Joshua, but the other boy didn't take it. Looking over at Josh, he saw to his amazement that Joshua was perfectly dry. "What the hell?"

Joshua smirked. "Keeper powers, Neku dear."

"Why you-" Neku let out a growl and tried to focus on drying his hair.

A second later Joshua sighed and walked forward. "Stop. Let me."

Neku froze, noticing just how close the other boy was. They were almost touching. Joshua slowly reached up and ran a hand through Neku's hair. He suddenly felt warm, and not from a blush but from his hair. Then it was dry. It wasn't all spiky as usual with all of the product washed out, but it was clean and dry. "Thank you." he said quietly.

Time seemed to slow as violet eyes met his blue ones and neither looked away. There was a question in Joshua's eyes, one asked very hesitantly. Neku answered it, leaning in and letting his eyes close. A moment later, a pair of soft lips brushed his.

They were only kissing for a second, but to Neku, it felt like much longer. It still ended way too soon for him. Joshua pulled away, and Neku opened his eyes. The blond had taken a step back and looked away.

"I'm sorry, Neku. I shouldn't have done that."

"Why not?" asked Neku before thinking.

"Because you're leaving. You have friends you're going back to. I was being selfish. I'm sorry."

"Don't be." said Neku firmly. Then he made his decision. "I'll come back, Josh. Next summer. Then I'll be done with school and I'll stay. If I'm still welcome."

"You're always welcome, Neku." said Joshua softly, "But don't feel like you need to. Go live your life. Be with your friends. Don't worry about me."

Neku gave him a long look. "I will. For the next year. But then I'm coming back, even if I'm not staying."

The smirk returned to Joshua's face, though it looked false. "Fine. Don't be too worried if you change your mind by then. I won't make you pay to come if it's just you."

"Neku! Dinner!" The call rang out over the beach and he recognized his mother's voice. Sighing, he looked back at Joshua. "I have to go. I'll try to come see you tomorrow, but we're leaving early the next day. But first-."

Neku had had an idea. Pulling out his phone, he turned on the camera and held it up in front of them. "Come on, I want a picture."

A little surprised, Joshua nodded and posed with Neku, smiling a real smile. His fingers twined with Neku's. The other boy's smile was just as genuine.

The next day, Neku spent most of his time packing. It was amazing how much had been scattered all over his room during the weeks. After his bag was packed, he saw one of his sketchbooks lying on the bed. It was mostly full of sketches of his friends, but there were a few pages left. During the last couple days, Neku had been drawing things about the island. He'd drawn the maze, the beach, Mr. H, even the monster. But he hadn't drawn Joshua yet. Sitting down on his bed, he picked it up and filled in the last few pages, adding in little notes here and there.

When he finished, there was only an hour or two left until sunset and he hurried to the maze. Joshua was waiting for him. His violet eyes lit up. "I was wondering if you wouldn't make it," he teased.

Neku sat down beside him and held out the sketchbook. "I made you a present. Here. Keep it; I have more."

"Thank you." Curious, Joshua took it and started to flip through it. It was good art. Neku had labeled his sketches with names of places, people, and things. He recognized the names of some of Neku's friends. When he got to the island, Josh's smile grew. "These are wonderful, Neku." he said, flipping through. But it was the next to last page that made him pause.

It was a sketch of himself, sitting by the pond in the garden, one hand dangling in the water. He was looking up with a small smile. On his back were wings, glorious angel wings that looked soft and very  
feathery.

The real Josh looked up at a blushing Neku. "It took me forever to get the wings right,” Neku mumbled.

Joshua laughed softly, but his smile was grateful and a little bit shy. He turned to the last page. There was a small doodle of Neku, and beside it was an address and a note. "I got yours from Mom," it said, "You'd better reply to my letters, jerk, or I will be very upset when I come back."

Joshua chuckled and closed the book. "Thank you Neku."

"I mean it. You'd better answer my letters."

Joshua smiled and nodded, but he didn't look Neku in the eyes. The sun was beginning to set. "So, I guess this is goodbye then."

"Yeah." Neku moved closer, and Joshua's breath caught. Was Neku going to kiss him? That probably wasn't the best idea. He didn't want Neku to be too attached to him and abandon his own life foolishly. If Neku decided to come back permanently and then missed his old life too much, Josh would have to let him go again. And that he knew would hurt more than this did. No, his old life would quickly draw Neku back in, and he wouldn't return, not even for a visit.

Instead, Josh found himself being pulled into a hug. Slowly, he returned it. Neither let go for several minutes, and then Neku left. Joshua was alone again.

The next morning, as he stepped onto the boat, Neku looked for Joshua. He wasn't there. Mr. H. was there, cheerful as ever and wishing them a safe trip home. His parents were sad about leaving but happy to be home. Neku was the only one who seemed to not be happy. He was in the same mood as when he'd come, but for the opposite reason.

As the boat pulled away from the dock, he spotted something. Joshua standing by the house. He gave Neku a small wave. Neku waved back, glad to get one last glimpse of his friend. Then Josh was gone, the island fading into the distance.

Neku felt tired.

The next year seemed to pass like a movie to Neku, a far too long movie with no plot that he was forced to watch anyway. Every day was repetitive. Go to school, see his friends, work on a letter to Josh, do his homework, sleep, eat, repeat.

He didn't get any letters from Joshua. Not one single letter. None of his letters were returned either so he just knew Josh was getting them, but Neku didn't hear a word from the island and it hurt.

As the year passed, he sort of fell into a gloom. His friends at home got worried. Neku wasn't eating, sleeping well, or showing any of his old energy. His grades were still good, but it seemed like that's all he would focus on. Sometimes they could make him smile or laugh even, but those times were rare and far between.

Around April, Shiki pieced a few things together and dragged Neku over to her house, locking him in a room with her, Beat, Rhyme, and Eri. All of them looked worried. Neku just felt nervous, "Umm, what's going on."

"We're having an intervention. For you and whatever is bugging you and has been for months now."

Beat nodded, "Yeah, man. Even I've noticed that things ain't right and that's saying something."

"What's on your mind, Neku?" asked Rhyme. "You've been so gloomy ever since you came back from your trip last summer."

Neku sighed. "Really guys?"

"We're not letting you out until you tell us," said Eri, crossing her arms.

"Please Neku?" asked Shiki.

Neku gave in. He explained all about the island, the Beacons, the Keepers, and that asshole Joshua. "I've sent him so many letters," he said in the end, hurt making its way into his furious tone, "And what did I get back? Nothing. Not a scrap of paper. It's like he's ignoring me. He could have been hurt or killed or something and I have no idea."

Shiki was the first to speak. "I believe you. That jerk!"

Rhyme nodded. "I believe you too. You wouldn't lie about something like this."

Beat looked a little shell-shocked. "Uh, me too, 'cause they do. Wow, man, that's crazy. Bwaaaah, I didn't even know you swung like that! And all that glowy stuff..." At Rhyme's pout, he added, "But that's fine, man, just go ahead an do whatever. I'm not judgin' or nothin'."

Eri looked thoughtful. "We only have a few weeks until graduation, and then we're free for the summer. From what it sounds like, I think he's really expecting you not to come back. I don't think that's what he wants from what you've said, but I think he's preparing himself for that."

"So what should I do?" asked Neku

"Go." said Rhyme, "In fact, why don't we go with you. We'll give you two plenty of privacy, don't worry."

"That would be great," said Shiki gently, "But we can't go. We all have college stuff almost as soon as school ends, except for you Rhyme, and you and Beat have stuff planned. The only one who would be free is Neku. He hasn't even picked a college yet."

Eri gave Neku a curious look. "Is that why you didn't pick? Because you wanted to go back?"

Neku nodded.

"Okay." said Shiki, "You go. Stay if you want. We'll write you and you had better write back, mister. Go be with Joshua. We'll come visit you when we can."

"You bet!" said Rhyme. Beat followed up with an "O' course, Neku!"

"You'll still be our friend, even if we don't see you as much." said Eri. "Go for it. You'll regret it if you don't. Trust me."

It was with well wishes and, yeah, some tears that the four sent their friend off to the island. As soon as he lost sight of land, Neku sighed. It was going to be a long trip.

The island was still in one piece when he got there. That was a relief. Neku felt his worry for Joshua turn into anger at said Keeper once he realized that Joshua was probably safe. His powers returned as soon as he set foot on the dock, and it was hard to keep them in check so he wouldn't scare the poor captain. Pulling his suitcase over, he spotted Mr. H walking towards him, looking surprised and a little worried. He might have been able to sense Neku's anger. "Uh, hey Phones. Good to see you back."

Neku tried to smile and be cheerful, but he knew there was an edge in his voice. "Hey Mr. H. Where's Joshua?"

Mr H. hesitated. "The usual spot. He doesn't really leave there these days."

"Thanks." Still carrying his bag, Neku headed straight towards the maze.

The captain, getting ready to leave, commented "He's sure in a hurry."

Mr. H only nodded. He hoped Neku wouldn't do anything too rash.

Neku's trip through the maze took only seconds as his power shaped it. One turn and he was there, looking out at the garden and the pond. The familiarity of it all made him stop and take a long breath. He was back. He was home. The sense of belonging to a place had never felt as strong as it did now. He looked around, taking in every detail. Then he spotted Joshua, sitting by the water's edge and looking into it again.

"You asshole."

The familiar voice so full of anger made Joshua freeze and then he jumped to his feet, turning to face Neku. His eyes were wide. His mouth opened, but nothing came out.

By then, Neku had reached him. For a second, Joshua seemed afraid that the boy would punch him. Instead, Neku grabbed his shoulders. Hard.

"Why didn't you send me anything? No letters, no nothing, even a smiley face would have been enough! I got nothing. Do you know how many letters I sent you? Do you?"

"154." said Joshua quietly.

Neku stopped. His grip on Josh's shoulder's loosened a bit. "What?"

"154 letters. I counted."

"Did you read them?"

"All of them."

"Then why didn't you write me back?" Neku's voice was no longer angry now, but hurt. "Did you not care? Did you not want me to come back?"

"It's not that," said Josh, and he looked weaker and smaller in Neku's eyes than he ever had,

"Then what stopped you?"

Joshua bit his lip, refusing to look at Neku. His voice was trembling with emotion. "You have a life, Neku. You can do so much. If you put your mind to it, you could probably change the world. You have friends, you have family, you have a future. I don't."

Neku started to say something, but Joshua cut him off. "No, let me finish. Being here, being a Keeper, it's not much of a future. The power is nice, but after a while, you get bored. You get lonely. You wish you could leave, even sometimes if it meant the Beacon was destroyed, but you can't. If you leave after too long, you die. And it took me too long to realize I don't like being alone. Far too long. But I can't leave the Beacon and Sanae alone. So I'm stuck guarding it forever, or until the darkness finally destroys it."

Josh stopped talking, and Neku noticed he was shaking. Joshua was still facing away, but looking at his face, Neku saw tears. He didn't see a powerful, smug person anymore. Just a sad and very lonely boy.

Neku pulled him into a hug and they stood there for a long time, just like the last time they had met before Neku had gone. This time, they were both about the same height, though Neku was still about an inch shorter. "I missed you." he whispered.

Joshua stopped shaking after a while, but he didn't move. Neku didn't either. Instead, he said, "I'm not leaving you again."

Joshua's violet eyes widened and he looked up at Neku. There was disbelief in his eyes, but also a little bit of hope. "But Neku, your friends."

"They said they'll visit," he replied, "You'll get to meet them. And I bet they'll still visit, even when they have families of their own and jobs and everything."

"What about you? You won't go to college, have a job, start a family."

"Hey, college doesn't matter here. Being Keeper counts as a job, right? And you're my family. If you still want me here."

"Like I said, Neku, you're always welcome here. But are you sure that this is what you want?"

"Positive. You can tell by my letters. Life wasn't good enough anymore. This is home to me, and that was too far from home."

Joshua nodded.

Then Neku said slowly, "It wasn't just the island that I missed."

Joshua gave him a puzzled look. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, sure I missed Mr. H some. I never got to talk to him about him being CAT or anything. But I missed you more." He paused, gathering his courage. "I never could stop thinking about you. Or missing you. Not even when I was talking with my friends. I didn't really know why, but I've figured it out now. I love you, Josh. I did even when you were being a jerk."

Joshua stared at him, an unreadable expression on his face. Then he slowly let go of Neku, arms dropping so he could stand directly in front of the older boy. "You do?"

Neku felt his heart sink. "Yeah. I do."

"Just making sure." Then Joshua kissed him, and it was not as soft and brief as their first kiss. As soon as he realized what was happening, Neku pulled Josh back into his arms and returned the kiss. It was a while before either of them pulled away, and both were wearing identical blushes when they were done.

"So I guess this means you feel the same?" asked Neku, grinning.

"Yes. I love you too, Neku." said Joshua. He smiled back, his expression soft. “You won't change your mind?”

Neku shook his head. “I won't. I choose this, and you.”

Joshua's smile grew. “I can't wait to show you around the island. Yes, I know you were here for two weeks, but there's so much you missed. And we'll have to start teaching you how to use those new powers of yours.”

Neku's eyes widened. When he'd chosen to be a Keeper and stay on the island, he'd mostly been thinking of Josh. He hadn't considered magic at all, really. “Like what?”

Joshua's chuckle wasn't reassuring at all. “You'll see.”

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Thanks for reading! I wrote this story years ago for a friend of mine who I got hooked on The World Ends With You. I recently found it again and gave it some minor edits, fixing up some messed up formatting in the process. I've looked it over, but if you see any issues, please tell me so I can fix them!
> 
> If any of you are wondering, yes, I am planning to keep writing Right Where I Belong. I'm still working on figuring out exactly where I want it to go. I wrote it without planning ahead very much. It may be a while before an update, as I have a very busy several months ahead of me, but I'm not planning to abandon it.
> 
> As always, thank you so much for reading. I hope you liked it, and I hope you have a fantastic day!


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